Author's note: Greetings! This story takes place post first game. It'll be 20 chapters + an epilogue. These will be split into 3 parts. Enjoy :)
Part I: Dragged In
Chapter 1: Dropped On Not In
A small click hit my window pane. Rapidly the sound escalated to rhythmic taps. If my father weren't already asleep, he'd probably fly into a panic. Considering I was on the second floor of our house, this would be a normal response. I knew otherwise. Sliding open the window, the intruder tumbled in and knocked me to the floor. She then nimbly somersaulted across the room.
"You could always just ring the bell, Light," I said, looking up at the woman.
"Where's the fun in that?"
"Better yet, how the hell did you get in through the window?"
"You've seen me scale significantly taller things. Though staying balanced on that ledge was a pain," she said, finally sitting cross-legged at the foot of my bed. "So how's your father doing? Treating you properly?"
This entire time she'd not only been wearing her uniform, but an enormous grin on her face. This was the first time I'd seen her genuinely happy in months. Once I was no longer sprawled on the carpet, it occurred to me that she reeked. There was a drunken woman, in my bedroom, at midnight. This was a first.
Even in her inebriated state, she knew I posed no threat. She was twenty-four, and currently we treated each other more like a siblings than anything. Though I couldn't assume to know what she felt about me. We hadn't met in weeks and the first thing she did was land on top of me. I'd never known what she was thinking, and I doubted that I ever would.
"Aren't you curious why I'm here?" she said, waving her hand in front of my face.
"You always drop in when you report back to the city for the Corps. However, you tend to use the door."
"What could I possibly need to tell you that couldn't wait 'til morning? Guess, Hope! I'll give you a hint. I was out with the guys when I got a call from Serah. And once she told me, I tried it."
I hoped this wasn't drug related.
"I don't know. Just tell me."
The hand that had been flailing in front of my face steadied. Her delicate fingers extended and her palm lay parallel to the ceiling. With her brows furrowed, she concentrated on the center point of her hand. Suddenly a small fountain of sparks bloomed. The bits of dancing light rolled over the edges and vanished in midair. I touched my fingertip to the shower of sparks and the hair on my head stood in a more chaotic way than usual. I felt no pain; the charge only tingled. Once Lightning knew she had my full attention, the sparks curled their way up my finger and encircled my wrist. The bracelet of light felt welcoming and familiar. It didn't carry with it the danger and urgency of a thunder spell. If anything, it felt like the magical equivalent of a giggle. She winced, her hand twitched, and the moment was over.
"I think that's all I can manage right now. But it's a hell of a lot more than anything I tried on the way over here."
"Did anyone see you?" I internally began to panic.
"Who do you think I am? Snow? My middle name is stealth."
She began trying to pat down my hair. Her skin was still charged, so all she actually managed was to make it stand out like a navidon's carapace. The woman erupted into giggles as she ran her hand back and forth slightly past my ends; the strands followed her like a magnet. She teetered off the bed and into my lap. When her laughter reverberated against the skin of my neck I knew I had been correct. Her magic had radiated her mood.
"Ok, Sergeant Stealth. You should probably get to sleep."
The woman raised an eyebrow and glanced at my bed. No. Definitely not. She winked at the worry plastered all over my face.
"I'm just pulling your leg, kid. I know where the guest room is."
She exited my room, leaving me baffled on the floor.
When I skulked down for breakfast that morning, there were two people at the dining table. Usually my father would have left for work by now. Instead he was drinking coffee with Lighting. She was showered and back to her usually stoic self.
"Ms. Farron just finished telling me that Rygdea is finally looking into excavating your cohorts from their crystals."
"What? You didn't mention any of that in my room last night."
"Your room?" Wrong thing to focus on, Dad.
"I'm sorry Mr. Estheim, you were asleep by the time I arrived last night. We didn't want to disturb you, so we spoke in his room as a courtesy. I'll make it a point to speak with him only in the living area if you like."
Why were they so focused on the room thing? Like anything would ever happen between us. Did my father not realize that as far as I knew, she'd been on maybe one date in these past three years? She was also a trained solider, used to seeing the burliest guys on the planet. Even just yesterday she had been with Rygdea. I on the other hand, was still short, and some might even say scrawny. Not her type.
"That's not necessary. Simply surprised me."
"What's this about Fang and Vanille?" I said, taking a swig of coffee.
My father and Lightning were both staring at me. Now what had I done? It's not like coffee was off limits, he and I usually drank a cup after dinner.
"Let me get you another cup Ms. Farron. You take it with sugar, correct?"
A tiny droplet of coffee shot through my fingers as I covered my mouth. There must have been something wrong with me today.
"So you steal it, then you waste it," she said, shaking her head. "Like I was telling your father, they plan on removing Fang and Vanille from the structure surrounding Cocoon. They'd initially removed Serah from Lake Bresha, so there's no reason that this can't be done. After a variety of tests, they believe that it won't hinder the pillar holding everything up. Or so they think, it's not like they are all that versed in l'Cie magic. That's why they brought me in."
"But they'll still be in stasis?" I asked.
"That's what we assume. If they do wake up again, it'd be best for them to be somewhere we could watch over them. What's your take?"
I wasn't in the military, so it's not like I had an actual stake in this. But the possibility of meeting Fang and Vanille again, I'd give anything for that. Especially Vanille. That girl had the kindest eyes and the cutest damn smile. Not like Sergeant Sourpuss here. Don't misunderstand, Lightning was my best friend. She was just an acquired taste.
"What about. You know. Your little problem last night," I said, pointing at my palm.
"I'd hardly call that a problem, Hope. If anything it's a gift. I plan on talking to the others about it back in New Bhodum before I bring it up with Rygdea."
Wait, so she's on a personal chatting-it-up basis with him? Not a "my people will call your people" situation. I felt a scowl forming on my face.
"Which reminds me. The reason I dropped in last night was to see if your powers were resurfacing as well."
Dropped in. Hah. More like dropped on top of me. I betted she'd never pull that crap with any men her age. I looked at my palm. How would this work? My magic had always been deeply connected to the brand on my wrist. Serah had never actually fought, so she wouldn't have that muscle memory. But how did Lightning do it?
Nothing happened. Great, this was embarrassing as hell. I'd been almost completely dependent on magic as a l'Cie. Lightning was all about her physical training, yet she could do this and I couldn't.
"You're overthinking things," she said, getting out of her chair.
She stood behind me, reaching around to take my hands in hers. She'd showered in my bathroom. She must have used my shampoo. Somehow, she still managed to smell uniquely herself. Slightly floral like a rose, yet still earthy like a rain-soaked rock overgrown with lichen. It was intoxicating at this distance.
"You need to ground yourself. What's your favorite smell, or something that makes you happy? Anything that you feel strongly about."
I buried every random thought about her that bombarded my brain that instant. I didn't know why, but the next thing that came to mind was Rygdea's cocky grin. I tried to funnel that feeling into my palms. Fire burst with an incredible force. Before I could stop it, the entire table was engulfed in flames.
Lightning was shouting at me while trying to douse the inferno, jets of water flowed from her palms, but they still couldn't keep up. Only when some of her spell hit my skin did I regain my composure. Unlike her giggles of last night, the water was the raw magic I was used to feeling from her. A torrent spilled from my hands and flooded the dining room.
Well, the table was put out. But we were standing in inches of water. And my father was in the doorway holding a fresh cup of coffee, clearly confused.
My father had seemed relieved to be rid of me. After almost burning down the house, Lightning and I had had a lengthy discussion with him about the implications. If all our powers were in fact returning, I'd be safest with her. At least until we got a handle of the situation. Really, he could have at least pretended he wanted me to stay. He put way too much trust in this woman.
"Think of it as a vacation. You never visit New Bodhum. The gang misses you. It's been a year since any of them have seen you."
I wriggled in my seat. We were sitting in the private compartment of a train, at least my dad could influence this much. Here we could talk freely. It would have been unbearable to sit in silence after this morning.
"Did it occur to you that I didn't visit for a reason? Sazh is always away on business and Snow is a moron. I could go my whole life without ever seeing him again."
"There's an ocean, and other people do live there."
"Is that so, like whom?"
"A certain Guardian Corps member. I hear she has a beach house."
"I see you like twice a month. What if I did go visit you, but it turns out you were drunkenly scaling my wall back home?"
I chose to childishly roll my eyes at her. I had been trying unsuccessfully for the past hour to replicate the sparks she had showed me last night. Clearly my magic was back, but I couldn't access whatever was necessary to make that skill happen.
"Why do you refuse to show me how to do it? You were all about helping me this morning."
She held her hand over mine and spilled the sparks onto it.
"Stop being a show off. Just tell me how you do it."
"This isn't like other magic. I don't even fully understand what I'm doing. The why of it: yes, the how of it: not a clue. I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually. Though, it might take years for a runt like you. Why are you so hell-bent on learning anyway? It's not very useful."
Because it felt amazing, it looked stunning, and eerily encapsulated an emotion I couldn't recognize. Not that I could ever tell her any of that.
When our train eventually pulled into the station, I saw the entire l'Cie crew waiting for us on the platform. Oh great. I had naively thought that we'd just go to her house and wait this whole magic thing out. Some weird, training montage between the two of us had even played in the back of my mind. After which, I would run off to save Vanille and Fang with her. Then everything would go back to normal. Normalcy I'd desperately been trying to keep intact.
"You always have an entourage? No wonder you visit me so often." I smirked at her.
"This is your fan club."
"What's a burnt table or two in the long run? I'm taking my chances and heading home. When's the next train?" I said, peering through the window looking for a display board.
"Too late. Snow's already seen you. Do you plan on disappointing him and Serah? They've prepared you a welcoming party. Don't tell me you can look in his eyes and tell him that his deep, passionate, burning love for you means nothing. He's literally jumping with joy. Like a man that large should be bouncing around." She lowered the window and shouted out, "Snow you're going to break the platform. Stop being an imbecile!"
We had barely disembarked before Snow had me in a bear hug and Sazh was patting me on the head.
"That's enough. He doesn't visit because you guys act this way." Lightning grabbed me by the hand and yanked me out of their collective hold.
"Clingy much? You go and see him all the dang time," Snow said.
His eyes flicked down to our hands, and instantly Lightning let me go. I hadn't even realized we were still touching. It was like second nature to be around her. No one in the Capital had known us personally, and my father couldn't care less. It hadn't occurred to me that our friendship might be misread by her family. My hand felt slightly empty, as if her entire person were a phantom limb which I had completely forgotten about.
Our touching had begun organically. We had been wandering the Capital during its build, and she had walked in a different direction. I had reached out for her, so that we wouldn't become separated. The second our fingers had touched, it had felt like they were always meant to be together. So we'd continued. Anytime we'd gone out, we'd walked fingers entwined.
Then one day we'd stopped. A girlfriend of mine had pointed out that 'she had to beg for that sort of attention from me' while I had given it to Lightning freely. I had explained that it was a familial thing, she was practically my sister. Not even that complaint had brought our closeness to an end. No, we had only stopped within the year, long after that relationship had ended.